Author's Notes 5/24/02:
Hey Everyone! I know I know! I'm awful for not posting this sooner. I was just having such a hard time when my dear friend died in a Car wreck...it's been so hard, sometimes. When I felt that I could write again, I knew that things were getting better. So now, I've managed out the thrilling almost-conclusion to our Story! Everybody ready? Ok, Mark...Set...GO!
~Windresss~
*****
Disclaimer: I don't own -anything.- Sad, Huh? I mean, Disney has enough money not to be suing me anyway...but the Sci-fi channel might not.
*****
Never Say Forever.
Chapter 7: Yesterday Is All We Have
Mallory glanced up, looking around her for yet another drone to unleash her fury upon. She was irritated to find none forthcoming.
The other ducks seemed to be in the same predicament. Shredded drone parts lay scattered over the dirt flooring, their mechanisms occasionally giving a dying twitch. But the silence of the room was eerie and rang with finality.
"We win. Again." Grin's cynical remark caught Duke's attention, the older mallard lofting his eyebrows in mute surprise. Such a quip simply wasn't like peace-loving duck. It was then that his larger teammate turned to meet the old thief's gaze, and the questions died on his lips. 'Even Grin has his limits...and it looks like Dive was one of them..'
Chameleon and Siege were nowhere to be seen.
'I guess it be askin' too much to think they got trapped under some of their own drones...' Duke issued a quiet snort, and Grin gripped his shoulder in understanding.
"Hey Guys..." Both of the men's' attentions were pulled from the battle scene to Mallory, who was perched atop a particularly high mountain of ruined machinations.
"Where are Wing, Tanya, and..... and Dive?"
Confused, the trio glanced over the area of the room. Indeed, half the team was missing. "Not here." Duke supplied, and Mallory snapped back a bit louder than she intended to,
"I -know- they're not here!"
Grin was quick to interject before that outburst could spawn an argument, pointing towards the small doorway that was the only way out of the room beyond the entry that the ducks had blasted only hours ago,
"Perhaps that is the direction they took, friends..."
Both smaller team members looked, quieting as their attention was returned to the task at hand. Mallory broke the silence.
"Well.... lets go get them, then."
**Underground Prison; Hours earlier**
Nosedive felt as if he had been falling for forever. The tiny portal that had led downward had long ago disappeared, leaving the young duck in complete darkness. He sighed, the thrill of falling have left him a while back.
'If I die when I hit the bottom, Wing is going to -kill- me..'
His ironic thoughts were cut off as he landed, unceremoniously, on something soft, uttering a soft "oomph" as the air rushed from his lungs.
"-Finally-" His words echoed oddly, as if he were in a great cavern he could not see. The ground beneath him seemed to shift with his words, uttering a soft growl. Dive froze.
He'd been in enough predicaments before to know when he was sitting on something very large and very alive, and Heaven help him, this thing -was!-
The nameless mass shifted once more, and then issued a long, snorting sigh. The teenager found he could breathe again.
'Asleep.... good.... now just play it cool, Divie-o, and we may live to see another day...' Drawing a deep lungful of air, Nosedive held his breath and carefully began to inch towards what he hoped was the edge of the beast. It was amazing that it hadn't waked up the instant he landed on it.
Slowly, very very slowly, Dive felt for the edge of what could only be the creature's stomach, finding it and gradually sliding his form down until his feet touched dirt floor. As soon as his entire weight was settled on the balls of his booted feet, the duck released a quiet gasp of air, his shoulders sagging in relief.
The beast shifted again, nearly rolling on top of the youngest team member before he shot off in blind panic into the darkness, crashing into a dirt wall before grappling along its length for a doorway only feet away and scurrying down a silent hallway.
***
"Definitely something off the Sci-fi channel..." Nosedive was crouched behind a large piece of machinery, it's tentacle like power cords running towards a massive piece of equipment that crowded the center of the underground labratory. And indeed, it did look as though it was a prop for the show "X-files." Naturally, Dive thought it was really cool.
As he looked, the duck noticed that his brother was nowhere to be seen. Only a few silent scientists moved around the room, checking cables and taking readings. For what, Dive couldn't say. This was getting boring anyway, and his knees were starting to hurt from kneeling. 'Waiting isn't my forte, anyhow...'
He paused only to draw a breath, and then darted towards the nearest crate, ducking behind it before any of the scientists noticed. He repeated the process, heading towards the opening on the opposite side of the room, not even thinking twice before plunging into the darkness of the descending hallway.
Dive stumbled when the ground leveled out, nearly falling in the packed dirt floor in the semi-darkness. He caught himself, releasing a soft "whew." The rattle of chains sounded from across the shadows of the room, and a wary, but oh so familiar voice reached his ears..
"Who's there?"
"ME!" Dive didn't even think to quiet his voice, launching recklessly into the depths of the room, guided by his desperation. His smaller frame collided with the stolid chest of his older brother, and instantly his arms coiled about his center, hugging the older duck tight.
"..Dive!?" The top of Nosedive's head bumped Wildwing's chin as he nodded enthusiastically. The surprise faded from Wing's voice, replaced quickly by joy, and ever more quickly by concern. "Dive! ...Oh, geez, baby bro, how'd you get down here?! You have to get out of here, there's this-"
"I'm not leaving without -you!-" Nosedive straightened, his eyes lifting to his brother's. Their depths mirrored the determination firming his beak, and the Mighty Ducks leader had to look away.
Beyond the love that shimmered in his brother's gaze lie accusation, and the deep fear of losing him to this underground prison. Wildwing had, if anything, had time to think, standing these long hours in the blackness. How very wrong he had been to think he could put distance between Dive and himself. There wasn't space enough on this planet to splinter their bond. And yet he had selfishly tried to save himself the pain of losing the only family he could ever truly call his own. What fool would give such a thing up?
"..Dive..." The older duck's voice was quiet, bated with his regret. "..I..."
Abruptly, the feeble light filtering from the laboratory was snuffed out by the heavy mass filling the squat doorframe. As it wedged it's way into the room, it emitted a low growl, promising death...
**Underground Lab; present**
WildWing's blunted fingers brushed wild blonde hair from his brother's forehead, leaning over him tenderly as he settled the boy on the machine's table. In an instant, his expression softened, eyes glistening with the boundless love he held for NoseDive, his features clinging to the thread of hope at his revival...'...this has to work...'
He composed himself quickly, but not before Tanya caught his look of intense love. Her heart wrenched for it, and for him. Were she to fail now, there would be no more Dive...watching Saturday morning cartoons...playing pranks on Mallory.... leaving comic books strewn all over the meeting room.
And no more WildWing, either. She clenched her eyes shut tightly, wishing it weren't true.... but she knew. Everybody knew.
It was like Wing had said from the beginning, "...You want me...you take my brother, too."
*****
Mallory, Duke, and Grin entered the lab, only to stumble to a shocked halt, watching Tanya gruesomely slice a layer of skin from Wing's upper arm. Duke was the first to find his voice, "Tanya!?"
Both ducks looked up, and Tanya instantly leaped into a hurried, and slightly summarized explanation as to what they were attempting. WildWing said nothing, only pressed his palm to his upper arm, staunching off the blood now oozing to his elbow, before dripping into the earth underfoot.
The expressions on the other three team members' faces clearly stated that they had their doubts...but if it brought back Dive...
"Do you need us to do anything?" Grin spoke for them all, looking expectantly from Wing to Tanya. Both shook their heads, the female scientist offering, "I'm almost ready to begin, really..."
Carefully carrying the bit of flesh in a petri dish she had located, Tanya set the sample on the table next to NoseDive's prone figure. She paused to draw a long breath, staring down at the reposed face, so ashen beneath his white feathers. Then she resolutely lowered the glass dome, latching it into place.
Returning to the control panel, she shot the team a look before reaching for the lever to begin the process. Light filled the chamber, encompassing the body of the youngest Flashblade and blazing outward. The ducks squinted, shielding their eyes against the unnatural light. Only Wing refused to look away, his stoic expression unchanging as the whirring of the machine grew louder and steam began to hiss from the valves running its sides.
Time passed, and a light on the control panel flashed green. The whirring slowed...slowed...until the silence was heavy on the ears of the ducks. Their leader strode forward, impatiently freeing the fastenings to the dome and shoving it upward. He fanned at the steam, the air about him slowly clearing as he leaned over the dark shape on the table.
His skin was gone.... but Dive wasn't. The blonde duck lay as still as he had in death. '...oh no...please… let this have worked...please...'
"...Please...no..." Wing wasn't aware that he spoke, only that his brother remain unresponsive. He checked for a pulse, -searched- for it...for anything... "...no....please, stars, No!"
He gripped the boy by the shoulders, shaking him, oblivious to the sad stares of his friends, who dare not approach. Tanya hung her head, crying quietly, and Duke wrapped her in a tight hug, "...I failed........failed.."
"Shh....you tried..." Duke crooned to her, her sobs pushing her beyond words...
"Dive, c'mon...please, Dive..." Wildwing's voice shattered, failing him as tears of broken hope began, "...I... I can't -do- this.... not without you...." He slowly stopped shaking the still form, his arms looping beneath the frail chest as his head lowered into the tattered remains of his battle armor, dried stiff with blood.
WildWing's tears fell uninhibited then, the person he loved most in his life clenched to him as he rocked with his unvoiced sobs. Life was nothing if this child.... this -drake-.... were not in it... Nothing for him. He would never live again...
A warm palm brushed Wing's shoulder, feather light. It ghosted away, and the duck was positive he had imagined it, when the hand' warmth returned, perching on his shoulder blade. The deathly silence dissipated, as a gossamer web, with the breathed appeal ".... wing..."
The Mighty Ducks leader froze, his watery eyes lifting, their tear reddened rims widening when they reached his brothers. It wasn't true.... it wasn't...
"...wing...you're squeezin'... my guts out..."
It was -true.- NoseDive Flashblade was going to Live.
***I cannot believe I took so terribly long in sending this out!! It's been sitting on my computer for like, half a month! I'm so sorry everyone, I was going through ha bit of a tough time...but I'm getting past it now and things are certainly looking up! For both the Mighty Ducks and me! Stay Tuned for a little snippet Epilogue!***
Hey Everyone! I know I know! I'm awful for not posting this sooner. I was just having such a hard time when my dear friend died in a Car wreck...it's been so hard, sometimes. When I felt that I could write again, I knew that things were getting better. So now, I've managed out the thrilling almost-conclusion to our Story! Everybody ready? Ok, Mark...Set...GO!
~Windresss~
*****
Disclaimer: I don't own -anything.- Sad, Huh? I mean, Disney has enough money not to be suing me anyway...but the Sci-fi channel might not.
*****
Never Say Forever.
Chapter 7: Yesterday Is All We Have
Mallory glanced up, looking around her for yet another drone to unleash her fury upon. She was irritated to find none forthcoming.
The other ducks seemed to be in the same predicament. Shredded drone parts lay scattered over the dirt flooring, their mechanisms occasionally giving a dying twitch. But the silence of the room was eerie and rang with finality.
"We win. Again." Grin's cynical remark caught Duke's attention, the older mallard lofting his eyebrows in mute surprise. Such a quip simply wasn't like peace-loving duck. It was then that his larger teammate turned to meet the old thief's gaze, and the questions died on his lips. 'Even Grin has his limits...and it looks like Dive was one of them..'
Chameleon and Siege were nowhere to be seen.
'I guess it be askin' too much to think they got trapped under some of their own drones...' Duke issued a quiet snort, and Grin gripped his shoulder in understanding.
"Hey Guys..." Both of the men's' attentions were pulled from the battle scene to Mallory, who was perched atop a particularly high mountain of ruined machinations.
"Where are Wing, Tanya, and..... and Dive?"
Confused, the trio glanced over the area of the room. Indeed, half the team was missing. "Not here." Duke supplied, and Mallory snapped back a bit louder than she intended to,
"I -know- they're not here!"
Grin was quick to interject before that outburst could spawn an argument, pointing towards the small doorway that was the only way out of the room beyond the entry that the ducks had blasted only hours ago,
"Perhaps that is the direction they took, friends..."
Both smaller team members looked, quieting as their attention was returned to the task at hand. Mallory broke the silence.
"Well.... lets go get them, then."
**Underground Prison; Hours earlier**
Nosedive felt as if he had been falling for forever. The tiny portal that had led downward had long ago disappeared, leaving the young duck in complete darkness. He sighed, the thrill of falling have left him a while back.
'If I die when I hit the bottom, Wing is going to -kill- me..'
His ironic thoughts were cut off as he landed, unceremoniously, on something soft, uttering a soft "oomph" as the air rushed from his lungs.
"-Finally-" His words echoed oddly, as if he were in a great cavern he could not see. The ground beneath him seemed to shift with his words, uttering a soft growl. Dive froze.
He'd been in enough predicaments before to know when he was sitting on something very large and very alive, and Heaven help him, this thing -was!-
The nameless mass shifted once more, and then issued a long, snorting sigh. The teenager found he could breathe again.
'Asleep.... good.... now just play it cool, Divie-o, and we may live to see another day...' Drawing a deep lungful of air, Nosedive held his breath and carefully began to inch towards what he hoped was the edge of the beast. It was amazing that it hadn't waked up the instant he landed on it.
Slowly, very very slowly, Dive felt for the edge of what could only be the creature's stomach, finding it and gradually sliding his form down until his feet touched dirt floor. As soon as his entire weight was settled on the balls of his booted feet, the duck released a quiet gasp of air, his shoulders sagging in relief.
The beast shifted again, nearly rolling on top of the youngest team member before he shot off in blind panic into the darkness, crashing into a dirt wall before grappling along its length for a doorway only feet away and scurrying down a silent hallway.
***
"Definitely something off the Sci-fi channel..." Nosedive was crouched behind a large piece of machinery, it's tentacle like power cords running towards a massive piece of equipment that crowded the center of the underground labratory. And indeed, it did look as though it was a prop for the show "X-files." Naturally, Dive thought it was really cool.
As he looked, the duck noticed that his brother was nowhere to be seen. Only a few silent scientists moved around the room, checking cables and taking readings. For what, Dive couldn't say. This was getting boring anyway, and his knees were starting to hurt from kneeling. 'Waiting isn't my forte, anyhow...'
He paused only to draw a breath, and then darted towards the nearest crate, ducking behind it before any of the scientists noticed. He repeated the process, heading towards the opening on the opposite side of the room, not even thinking twice before plunging into the darkness of the descending hallway.
Dive stumbled when the ground leveled out, nearly falling in the packed dirt floor in the semi-darkness. He caught himself, releasing a soft "whew." The rattle of chains sounded from across the shadows of the room, and a wary, but oh so familiar voice reached his ears..
"Who's there?"
"ME!" Dive didn't even think to quiet his voice, launching recklessly into the depths of the room, guided by his desperation. His smaller frame collided with the stolid chest of his older brother, and instantly his arms coiled about his center, hugging the older duck tight.
"..Dive!?" The top of Nosedive's head bumped Wildwing's chin as he nodded enthusiastically. The surprise faded from Wing's voice, replaced quickly by joy, and ever more quickly by concern. "Dive! ...Oh, geez, baby bro, how'd you get down here?! You have to get out of here, there's this-"
"I'm not leaving without -you!-" Nosedive straightened, his eyes lifting to his brother's. Their depths mirrored the determination firming his beak, and the Mighty Ducks leader had to look away.
Beyond the love that shimmered in his brother's gaze lie accusation, and the deep fear of losing him to this underground prison. Wildwing had, if anything, had time to think, standing these long hours in the blackness. How very wrong he had been to think he could put distance between Dive and himself. There wasn't space enough on this planet to splinter their bond. And yet he had selfishly tried to save himself the pain of losing the only family he could ever truly call his own. What fool would give such a thing up?
"..Dive..." The older duck's voice was quiet, bated with his regret. "..I..."
Abruptly, the feeble light filtering from the laboratory was snuffed out by the heavy mass filling the squat doorframe. As it wedged it's way into the room, it emitted a low growl, promising death...
**Underground Lab; present**
WildWing's blunted fingers brushed wild blonde hair from his brother's forehead, leaning over him tenderly as he settled the boy on the machine's table. In an instant, his expression softened, eyes glistening with the boundless love he held for NoseDive, his features clinging to the thread of hope at his revival...'...this has to work...'
He composed himself quickly, but not before Tanya caught his look of intense love. Her heart wrenched for it, and for him. Were she to fail now, there would be no more Dive...watching Saturday morning cartoons...playing pranks on Mallory.... leaving comic books strewn all over the meeting room.
And no more WildWing, either. She clenched her eyes shut tightly, wishing it weren't true.... but she knew. Everybody knew.
It was like Wing had said from the beginning, "...You want me...you take my brother, too."
*****
Mallory, Duke, and Grin entered the lab, only to stumble to a shocked halt, watching Tanya gruesomely slice a layer of skin from Wing's upper arm. Duke was the first to find his voice, "Tanya!?"
Both ducks looked up, and Tanya instantly leaped into a hurried, and slightly summarized explanation as to what they were attempting. WildWing said nothing, only pressed his palm to his upper arm, staunching off the blood now oozing to his elbow, before dripping into the earth underfoot.
The expressions on the other three team members' faces clearly stated that they had their doubts...but if it brought back Dive...
"Do you need us to do anything?" Grin spoke for them all, looking expectantly from Wing to Tanya. Both shook their heads, the female scientist offering, "I'm almost ready to begin, really..."
Carefully carrying the bit of flesh in a petri dish she had located, Tanya set the sample on the table next to NoseDive's prone figure. She paused to draw a long breath, staring down at the reposed face, so ashen beneath his white feathers. Then she resolutely lowered the glass dome, latching it into place.
Returning to the control panel, she shot the team a look before reaching for the lever to begin the process. Light filled the chamber, encompassing the body of the youngest Flashblade and blazing outward. The ducks squinted, shielding their eyes against the unnatural light. Only Wing refused to look away, his stoic expression unchanging as the whirring of the machine grew louder and steam began to hiss from the valves running its sides.
Time passed, and a light on the control panel flashed green. The whirring slowed...slowed...until the silence was heavy on the ears of the ducks. Their leader strode forward, impatiently freeing the fastenings to the dome and shoving it upward. He fanned at the steam, the air about him slowly clearing as he leaned over the dark shape on the table.
His skin was gone.... but Dive wasn't. The blonde duck lay as still as he had in death. '...oh no...please… let this have worked...please...'
"...Please...no..." Wing wasn't aware that he spoke, only that his brother remain unresponsive. He checked for a pulse, -searched- for it...for anything... "...no....please, stars, No!"
He gripped the boy by the shoulders, shaking him, oblivious to the sad stares of his friends, who dare not approach. Tanya hung her head, crying quietly, and Duke wrapped her in a tight hug, "...I failed........failed.."
"Shh....you tried..." Duke crooned to her, her sobs pushing her beyond words...
"Dive, c'mon...please, Dive..." Wildwing's voice shattered, failing him as tears of broken hope began, "...I... I can't -do- this.... not without you...." He slowly stopped shaking the still form, his arms looping beneath the frail chest as his head lowered into the tattered remains of his battle armor, dried stiff with blood.
WildWing's tears fell uninhibited then, the person he loved most in his life clenched to him as he rocked with his unvoiced sobs. Life was nothing if this child.... this -drake-.... were not in it... Nothing for him. He would never live again...
A warm palm brushed Wing's shoulder, feather light. It ghosted away, and the duck was positive he had imagined it, when the hand' warmth returned, perching on his shoulder blade. The deathly silence dissipated, as a gossamer web, with the breathed appeal ".... wing..."
The Mighty Ducks leader froze, his watery eyes lifting, their tear reddened rims widening when they reached his brothers. It wasn't true.... it wasn't...
"...wing...you're squeezin'... my guts out..."
It was -true.- NoseDive Flashblade was going to Live.
***I cannot believe I took so terribly long in sending this out!! It's been sitting on my computer for like, half a month! I'm so sorry everyone, I was going through ha bit of a tough time...but I'm getting past it now and things are certainly looking up! For both the Mighty Ducks and me! Stay Tuned for a little snippet Epilogue!***